Association between long working hours and sleep problems in white-collar workers

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sleep Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Long work hours are a growing concern in modern workplaces.
• Sleep disturbance significantly impacts employee well-being and productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between extended work hours and sleep quality in male white-collar workers.
• To determine if there is a dose-response association between overtime and sleep disturbance.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 1510 male white-collar employees in Japan.
• Sleep quality assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
• Overtime work hours quantified from timecard records over 6 months; confounding factors analyzed via multiple regression.

Main Results:

• A dose-response relationship was observed between increased overtime and higher prevalence of short sleep, impaired sleep efficiency, and daytime dysfunction.
• Workers with overtime exceeding 50 hours per week showed the highest prevalence of poor global sleep quality (PSQI score >5.5).
• Adjusted odds ratios indicated significantly increased odds of poor sleep quality for those working overtime.

Conclusions:

• Long work hours are significantly correlated with reduced sleep quality among white-collar workers.
• The association between overtime and sleep disturbance is dose-dependent.
• Findings highlight the need for interventions to manage work hours and improve employee sleep health.